


Red Shift

by Nybble



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 07:26:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4171119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nybble/pseuds/Nybble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team Machine on a mission. Things don't go as planned. Will Root risk everything in order to save Shaw?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Shift

**Author's Note:**

> So I've had terrible writer's block and this is my attempt to break it.

Shaw loaded her last magazine into her USP compact, clinically noting the clumsiness in her usually smooth action. She was going into shock. She pressed her free hand into her side, trying to apply pressure to the bullet wound just below her ribs. The resulting pain only increased her light headedness, and she could feel warmth trickling between her fingers.

She glanced up at the timer counting on the bomb attached to the row of office cubicles opposite her. She had eleven minutes before it went off taking out this entire floor. Shaw leaned her head back against the cold concrete wall she was slumped against, and shut her eyes.

"Root".

"Hi sweetie", Root's familiar chirpy voice was slightly breathless, and the sound of gunfire echoed through to Shaw's earpiece. "A little busy at the moment. It's not really a good time for a long girl talk".

Shaw's lips twitched into a small smile, and she kept her eyes closed. "It will never be a good time for a long girl talk". The little huff that carried through the com-link had Shaw's smile widening as she deliberately waited an extra few seconds before continuing, "not as long as we're fighting an AI apocalypse."

"We won't be fighting this war forever, Sameen. One day it will be over, you know."

"Yeah Root. One day it will". Shaw ignored the heavy feeling in her chest, as her eyes once again focused on the numbers counting down. "And I guess when that day comes, we can talk".

"You sure know how to motivate a girl". Root's voice somehow got even brighter and chirpier. There was a muffled thump, and the sound of something electrical overloading crackled across the line.

"Root?" Shaw didn't bother to hide the concern in her voice.

"I'm sorry Sam, as much as I'm enjoying planning out our future date, we're going to have to cut this short. Is there something you needed?"

Shaw lowered her pistol and rested it against her thigh, as her arm felt too heavy to lift. She was also breathing a lot faster. "You're definitely going to need to use the secondary exit. Samaritan agents have the front entrance blocked off". She made sure to keep her voice carefully controlled, letting no hint of her breathlessness show.

"That's earlier than expected."

"Yeah seems like they had a mole in the building. I dealt with him, but he'd already gotten a message out." Shaw glared at the shiny black loafers of the body lying a few feet away from her. There were also a half dozen other bodies sprawled in a rough semicircle around Shaw's position. Samaritan certainly wasn't holding back at the assets it was throwing at securing the building. The only thing preventing them from being completely overrun was the building's security lockdown triggering.

"Well we always knew that using the front entrance was going to be a long shot. We'll adjust accordingly. I still can't believe that the basement levels have absolutely no security cameras though". Root's voice was tinged with frustration. "She's totally blind down here".

"And so is Samaritan". Shaw reminded her.

"Well there is always that silver lining." Root's tone was wry. "And on that note, I really do need to go. I promise I'll make it up to you later".

"Sure, Root. Whatever you say". Shaw shot back, just before the line disconnected.

Shaw shut her eyes and took a couple of breaths, before turning her head and focusing on the red light on the camera mounted on ceiling. "You can't allow her to be reckless and get herself killed trying to exact revenge, so make sure you do your robot overlord thing, and order her to stop. I'm not..,'

" _Unacceptable outcome_ ".

Shaw twitched, sending a spike of pain through her side, as the multitoned voice sounded in her earpiece and interrupted her midsentence.

_"You are not expendable, Sameen_. _Not to me. Not to her."_

It was surreal hearing that mishmash of voices say her name. "Well unless you have some way to get that elevator moving, my expendability is really not up to either of you."

The complete security lockdown of the building not only restricted the movement of Samaritan's agents, but hers as well. Both the fire escape door and the elevator now required an override key to use, so Shaw was trapped on the same floor with a bomb containing enough C4 to level half the building.

She counted seven heartbeats, before she got a response.

**_''Rewriting Core Protocols.''_ **

Shaw could almost hear the capital letters in the Machine's voice. "Well that doesn't sound ominous at all".

The elevator doors on the opposite end of the room opened with a loud ding. "Did you just?....,' she allowed her voice to trail off.

" _Elevator security override engaged. Three minutes required to reach minimum safe distance_. _Urgent_ r _elocation required"._

Shaw clenched and unclenched her fist as she evaluated her body's condition. Her hands and feet were starting to go numb, and she was sweating profusely. She was in borderline stage 2 shock. "Not exactly in marathon running shape here, but I'll play."

She took a deep breath and forced herself to her feet. The world briefly faded around her, and Shaw clutched at the wall. A streaky red handprint smeared across the white concrete, before she pushed determinedly off and headed towards the elevator.

 

* * *

  
 

Fusco shifted his two handed grip on the briefcase he was carrying. He was breathing heavily from all the running they'd been doing. "Hey what's the holdup? This thing weighs a ton".

Finch tried the door again, but it stubbornly refused to open. "It appears that the door has some kind of security lock engaged".

"Security lock?" Root's head whipped around from her position covering the bend in the corridor. "That means the entire building is in lockdown".

"Don't worry Finch, I have just the thing for that." Reese pulled out a stick of C4 and Finch made room for him at the door.

Root totally ignored them, standing very still and staring off into the distance. "Shaw, where are you exactly?" She paused, waiting for an answer that never came. "Sameen, answer me!".

The three men all looked up at the panic in Root's voice.

"Where is she? I need to know!"

"Who's she talking too? Fusco whispered to Finch, who didn't respond to him.

"Ms. Groves, is everything alright?"

Root suddenly lowered both her guns, and her eyes snapped to Finch, anguish and fear clearly evident on her face. "Once you're through that door, continue through the subbasement, till you reach the third door on the left. That will lead down into the maintenance tunnels. Go right and it should eventually take you back up to the surface."

"Ms. Gr....Root, wait, please don't..."

Root didn't allow Finch to finish. "We don't have time for this. You need to get that hardware in that briefcase out. Just go!" She didn't bother saying anything else, and instead took off at run, back down the corridor they'd come from.

"What's she doing?" Fusco's mouth hung open in shock. "The building is about to come down around our ears and Crazycakes goes running back into it?"

"I believe Ms. Groves has gone to retrieve Ms. Shaw". Finch looked at Reese who had just finished setting up the C4 to blow the door. "And Mr. Reese will be joining her".

Reese smiled grimly at Finch and handed him the detonator. "I suggest you get behind cover before you use that." Then he too was gone, long loping strides taking him down the corridor.

 

* * *

 

Shaw's eyes flickered open at the desperation in the voice in her ear. _"Where exac.........Sameen,....me!"._

Root, she thought hazily. The lights in the elevator seemed to flicker and she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator. She was sitting against the side of the elevator, legs outstretched in front of her. The red numbers on the elevator panel were decreasing at an eyebrow raising rate. She briefly wondered how fast the elevator was going. Her eyes drifted shut again.

The next thing Shaw knew, someone was shaking her. She tried to slap them away, only to have her hand caught in a gentle but firm grip. She stopped struggling as everything started to fade out again.

"Sameen! Open your eyes. Please!"

The fear and desperation in Root's voice cut through the haze that was dragging Shaw down into darkness. She forced her eyes open, to see Root crouched over her, worry etched into the lines of her face. She was cradling Shaw's hand to her cheek, heedless of the blood smearing across pale skin.

"Root". Shaw's voice was barely a whisper.

"That's it, Sam. Keep those eyes open." Root's voice hitched in relief.

Shaw clenched her jaw and focused on staying awake. The elevator doors were open behind Root, with 'Basement Level 6' stenciled in yellow writing on the concrete wall opposite them. That meant she was still in the building. A building that was about to come down on top of them. A building Root should already be far away from.

Adrenaline spiked through her, clearing away the darkness that was edging her vision and making her thoughts hazy.

"Root". Shaw channeled all the anger she was feeling into her voice as she tried to tug her hand back. "What are you doing here?"

"Really, Sameen. Did you think it would be that easy to get out of our girl talk?" Root's tone might have been deliberately light, but the look in her eyes made Shaw glance away, unable to hold her gaze.

"First things first though." Instead of letting Shaw's hand go, Root held on tighter, sliding her other arm under Shaw's shoulders and tugging upwards. "We need to move this party elsewhere".

Shaw gritted her teeth at the pain flaring along her side, as she was helped to her feet. Her legs immediately threatened to give way on her, and she was forced to lean heavily on Root. Two thin, but strong arms wrapped around her back and stomach, and helped stabilize her.

Shaw dropped her head, breathing raggedly, as she took a moment to adjust to her new upright position. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the two discarded weapons lying at their feet. "Your guns".

She felt, more than saw Root's shrug.

"I'm out of ammo".

"Again?" Shaw badly wanted to roll her eyes, but it would take far too much energy to do so. Root used a gun like she was never going to run out of bullets. Yeah it was kinda hot, but Root had run out of ammo far too many times. Shaw might not always be there to bail her out. Today was not that day however.

"Left coat pocket".

Root slid a hand into the pocket of her peacoat and retrieved Shaw's USP compact. "Thanks, sweetie". She once again wrapped her arm around Shaw, careful to not press into her injured side. "Time to move".

Shaw's fingers dug into a slim waist as they took their first cautious steps forward. The corridor was sporadically dotted with unmoving bodies, and bullet holes peppered the walls. "How long do we have?"

"About five minutes". Root was slightly breathless as she basically dragged Shaw along, supporting nearly her entire body weight.

Shaw didn't bother to ask if that was enough time. She'd broken out into a cold sweat, her hair and clothes sticking to her skin. Root's body pressed against hers felt searingly hot. Shaw focused grimly on putting one foot in front of the other, keeping her legs moving by sheer willpower alone.

They turned a corner in the corridor, only to find two Samaritan agents lying in wait for them. Root raised the USP compact and fired, and one of the agents went down. Without Machine assisted prescience, she didn't have enough time to stop the second agent firing. Root turned her body, trying to shield Shaw.

Everything seemed to shift into slow motion for Shaw. She clutched at Root, trying to rotate her away and out of the line of fire, but she had no leverage in her weakened state. Soft strands of hair brushed against Shaw's cheek as Root wrapped around her in a protective embrace, the smell of leather and perfume and gunpowder that was uniquely Root surrounding her.

The sound of the gunshot was one of the loudest things Shaw had ever heard. It felt like the entire world had stopped as she stared up into wide brown eyes.

The distinct thump of a body hitting the ground echoed through the corridor.

Root blinked, breaking their gaze, and turned her head to look over her shoulder. "John?" There was genuine surprise in her voice.

"Thought you could use a hand." Reese strode towards them, his gun still pointing at the downed agent.

Shaw had never been so glad to see him before. She let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. Her grip on Root's waist didn't loosen, even as she felt her shift against her, the collar of her jacket brushing Shaw's cheek. "I'd say great timing, but jury's still out on that one".

"You've looked better, Shaw". Reese stopped in front of them and raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you're going to need to be carried out of here".

"Oh hell to the no!" Shaw's protest was ignored, as Root easily extracted herself from her grip.

Reese simply lifted her off the ground, forcing her to throw one arm awkwardly around his neck. If it wasn't already bad enough being lugged around like a damsel in distress, the sudden movement made her side feel like it had been set on fire. It got even worse when Reese started to jog. Nausea welled up alarmingly and Shaw had to work hard to suppress her gag reflex. More worryingly though, black spots started to pepper her vision.

"Sameen"? Root glanced anxiously back at her as they ran, her forehead scrunched in worry.

"I'm okay, Root." Shaw forced out through gritted teeth. "Just trying not to blow chunks all over Reese's suit".

Reese's steps faltered slightly at her announcement, but too his credit, he kept running.

"One minute", Root picked up her pace, and Reese matched her.

Shaw bit back a groan at the increased jarring. Her free hand was pressed against her side, trying to keep pressure on her wound. Red dripped in a sluggish stream between her fingers, leaving a patchy trail behind them. Shaw blinked, struggling to focus. It was getting increasingly harder to keep her eyes open. She tried to keep her gaze on Root's leather clad back, as a heavy coldness crept over her limbs. It wasn't long before her eyes shut and didn't reopen.

 

* * *

 

Reese's face was grim as Shaw went limp in his grasp, her head lolling against his shoulder. Her usually olive toned skin was sickeningly pale, and there was a sheen of sweat beading on her face. Blood dripped slowly but steadily onto the ground beneath them.

Reese could only hope that Root wouldn't look back any time soon. They couldn't afford any delays, and he knew that she would not react well to seeing Shaw unconscious and bleeding.

They passed through the remains of the door he'd set the C4 on earlier, and into an open parking garage like area, with a low ceiling and numerous concrete pillars. It was eerily empty and quiet, aside from the hollow echoing of their footsteps. They weaved between concrete pillars, heading for the entrance to the maintenance tunnels.

"Just a little further, Sa...," Root broke off midsentence as she glanced over her shoulder.

Reese saw the exact instant she noticed Shaw's condition. Her face crumpled, and her steps immediately faltered. Reese never broke stride. He reached out and grabbed Root's arm as he passed her, yanking her along with him. Luckily Shaw was a small woman, so he was able to keep her stable with just the one arm.

"Move it, Root. Unless you want us all to die here, including Shaw". Reese's words broke through Root's panic, and she started moving on her own steam again. They pushed through the heavy metal door leading into the maintenance tunnels, and Root slammed it shut behind her.

It wasn't a moment too soon, as a deep rumble shook the building. Bits of concrete dust rained down on them as they ran down the stairs. The metal framework of the stairs shook, but held steady and they were soon safely into the narrow maintenance tunnel itself. It didn't take them long to make their way out, where Fusco and Finch were waiting in the car.

Root slid into the backseat and Reese carefully passed Shaw over. She settled Shaw's head in her lap, before pressing down firmly on the gunshot wound with one hand.

Shaw shifted slightly, and made a faint disgruntled noise. Reese let out a relieved breath. That was a good sign that Shaw was still responding to pain. He got into the car and nodded to Fusco who was in the driver's seat that it was safe to go.

"Dr. Enright will be meeting us back at the safehouse." Finch's worried gaze was fixed on the two women in the backseat.

Root ran the back of her fingers over Shaw's cheek. "Hold on, Sameen. Please".

Reese had to look away at the raw anguish on her face. If he had ever doubted the genuineness of Root's feelings, and wondered if she was just messing with Shaw for kicks, it had all been erased today. He just hoped Shaw would be ok. For all their sakes. 

 

* * *

 

Shaw opened her eyes, and found herself staring at the ceiling of the safehouse. She was in the room they had set aside to deal with medical emergencies. The slow steady beep of the heart monitor meant that they'd stabilized her hypovolemic shock. There was only a slight ache in her side. She must be on some damn good drugs.

She turned her head, not in the least surprised to see Root curled up in a chair, with her legs folded underneath her. She had an open laptop balanced on her lap, and was leaning her head on her hand.

Something must have alerted Root that she was awake, because she glanced towards Shaw. She jerked upright when her gaze met Shaw's, dislodging the laptop. Root grabbed for it and managed to save it from falling.

"Sameen, you're awake", she smiled widely at Shaw, not the least bit self conscious about her awkward near miss.

Shaw raised an eyebrow. "Root. You look like crap".

Root looked exhausted. There were lines of strain around her mouth and dark bags under her eyes. Even her usually ridiculously shiny bouncy curls, were lying flat and limp around her shoulders.

Root tilted her head, smile fading slightly "I believe that's meant to be my line". She hurriedly got to her feet to switch off the beeping alarm, as Shaw yanked at the heart monitor leads.

Shaw's eyes narrowed at the IV line, but she decided not to pull it out. She made to sit up, and Root was there at her side, reaching out to help her. 

"Well I got shot. What's your excuse?" Shaw snapped, angry that Root had once again been reckless about taking care of herself. She regretted it almost immediately though, as Root's smile disappeared completely. 

"You nearly died, Sameen!" Root took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm herself down. "Do you know what th..."

Shaw cut her off by gripping the front of her jacket and yanking her downwards. She crushed their lips together, wanting to remind Root that she was still here, that she wasn't dead. Root resisted for second, before giving in and melting into the kiss.

Root eventually broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Shaw's, eyes still closed. "You can't kiss your way out of this one, Sameen. I'm still mad at you".

"Ok, you can be mad at me later then. After we take a nap. Together."

Root drew back and shot her a dubious look . "We're both not going to fit in that bed."

"We will, as long as you don't mind getting up close and personal." Shaw winked and lay back down, making room on the bed.

Root glanced heavenward and shook her head, before sighing and walking back to the chair. She shutdown the laptop, and then removed her boots, pants and jacket. The clothing was dropped sloppily onto the chair, and the boots lay askew on the floor. Shaw's jaw twitched at Root's usual messy disregard for neatness, but she wisely kept silent.

Root carefully climbed onto the bed, and curled up beside Shaw, resting her head on her shoulder. Soft strands of hair spread out, brushing against the bare skin of Shaw's collarbone. Root placed her hand on Shaw's chest, careful to avoid the dressing on her side. It was a tight fit, but they managed.

Shaw wrapped her arm around Root, pulling her closer. She rested her hand on Root's hip, under the hem of her top. Root settled against the crook of her neck with a soft sigh. It didn't take long for both of their breathing to even out into sleep.


End file.
